Abdominal supporter



-`UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN A. GROVER, OF MOMENGE, ILLINOIS.

ABDOMINAL SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 24,630, dated July 5, 1859.

' strument, with its several parts arranged in the position they assumein relation to each other when applied to the person. Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the adjustable spring frame of ditto. Fig. 3 is ahorizontal section of the said adjustable spring frame, with theexpanding and contracting j canvas or other cloth attached thereto.

Similar letters in the figures refer to corresponding parts.

This instrument is designed to take the place of the towel bandagesusually applied to the person after delivery, and is for the purpose ofsupporting the abdominal'wall when in a flaccid condition and retainingthe uterus and other contiguous organs n 827m, at the time when there isconstant tendency to displacement and is so constructed as to enable itto be adjusted and adapted to any size or condition of person, andtightened and loosened above and below as occasion may require, andotherwise adjusted to suit the condition and position of the patient bythe patient herself.

To enablev others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

The nearly upright center steel spring bar A, of the spring frame, isprovided with a set screw l, at its upper end, which passes through atransverse tongue on said bar, inserted in slots formed in the end ofcurved horizontal steel bars B, overlapping each other, and connectedtogether by loops C, secured to their ends through which theyrespectively pass. This enables the bars B to be elongated orcontracted, and secured at any desired length, by the shoulder of theset screw 1. To the opposite ends of the spring bars B, are secured at aslightly obtuse angle, two flat bars D on the front surface, next thelower end of which, are i tom andside bars of the spring frame, and

formed tongues which enter and slide in corresponding slots s, formed inother flat spring sliding bars E, which overlap them in front, beingconnected together by loops F, at the upper ends of the bars E, throughwhich the bars D, pass, and guided in their sliding movements by thetongues at the lower ends of the said bars D, and button head secured tothe same.

The lower ends of the bars E, are slightly curved toward each other andare jointed by pins, to the upper ends of segmental spring bars G, whoselower ends are overlapped by other segmental spring sliding slotted barsH, which are connected to, and guided in their movements over the barsG, by loops I, and slots J, of the bars H, and tongues and button headof the bars G, in the same manner that the bars E, are connected to, andguided in their sliding movements over the bars D.

The segmental bars I-l, are jointed by pins to the ends of a shortsegmental bar K, secured at its center to the lower end of a springslotted bar L, which extends upward therefrom at a right angle, andoverlaps the lower curved and slotted ends of the center bar A to whichit is attached by a loop Z at the end, through which the said bar Apasses, and a set screw entering a tongue projecting from the lower endof the center bar A, and moving in the slot of the bar L.

To near the lower curved end of the bars E, are secured the end ofcurved horizontal spring bars M, which overlap and slide over each otherat their opposite ends, where they are slotted and provided with loops,similar to those on the ends of the correspondingly curved bars B, forguiding them in their sliding movements, being clamped firmly at anypoint of their movements by a clamp screw 2, entering a nut having atongue on its face, which enters the slot in the said bars M. Theconcave portion of the adjustable spring frame thus formed, which, whenapplied, is next the abdomen, is covered entirely by a canvas or othercloth Z, whose edges are brought over the upper, lower and side bars ofthe spring frame, and are gathered and sewed or hemmed, to form a'casing over an endless, round, india rubber cord c, whose elasticity* ismade to always draw the said canvas or other cloth, over the edges ofthe top', bot- Vto a broader' piece of cloth or pad O, shaped somewhatafter the form of a diamond, and

designed' to rest upon the spine, and parts on either side of the same,of the person to which the instrument is applied. Each of y the taperingbands between the shirred rub ber bands, and the straps O, are providedwith two straps P, P, which are perforated with a series of holes,andare connected at their shirred rubber ends to the said straps O, andextend therefrom at obtuse angles, upward and downward, respectively tothe button head of the screw 1, at the upper end of the steel springframe, and the button head 3, at the lower end of the same, to whichthey buttoned.

The instrument is applied and operated in the following manner: Thestraps P, P, O, on the side of the spring frame, are rst detached fromtheir respective button head, above, and below, and the buckle on oneend of the strap N, and the said spring frame is then either enlarged orcontracted, by unclamping the set or clamp screws 1, 2 which admits ofthe upright center and horizontal bars A, L, B M and the side and lowercurvedl bars D, E, G, H, sliding past each other, until the'pad formedby the canvas or other cloth e, drawn over the outer edges of the springframe by the elastic rubber cord c, corresponds with the size and formof the abdomen to which it is to be applied. The spring frame thuspadded is rplaced against the abdominal wall, either over a night dressor beneath it, as may be desired, with the lower semicircular portionresting` immediately above the pubric bone after which the straps P, P,O, are secured as on the opposite side, to the proper gentle degree oftightness, always observing the precaution to draw the lower straps P, a

little tighter than the corresponding upper ones P, in order that thegreater pressure may be exerted from the lower part of the spring pad z,upward. When thus properly adjusted the back pad portion O', of thebands rests upon the spine, in Vsuch manner as to give it support. y

From the foregoing it will be observed that a greater or less pressure,asv occasion may require, can bev given to any particular portion of theabdominal wall, by enlarging or reducing the respective Vslidingportions of the instrument. By drawing the lower semicircular partoutward, or enlarging it a little, such a concavity maybe produced inthe instrument, that when the lower strap P, is drawn a triiie thetightest it will give a complete support just below the uterus-a featurethat is demanded at a time when the uterus is much enlarged andweakened.

AThe superiority of this instrument overI the ordinary system ofbandaging, consists mainly in its easy adaptability to size andposition, the conveniencev with which it can be applied, and thecomplete support that itgives to the abdominal wall while in a flaccidcondition after delivery, and the retenone and all, n situ, at a timewhen there is constant tendency to displacement. These desirable resultsare obtained without makingV pressure at any point where it is useless,or not absolutely required, as in the case with the towel bandageheretofore employed, which necessarily bandages the entire body to giveit the proper pressure in front. Vith the towel bandages it is necestheportion of the body above, and as the former is in all cases of greaterbulk than the latter, the pressure of the bandage was from abovedownward, rather than from below upward, inducing, rather thanpreventing displacement. Again, the ordinary pensable when the patientrequired the bandage readjusted, tightened, or loosened. With myabdominal instrument, the patient can herself tighten or loosen theupper and lower and center straps P, P', O, to suit circumstances orposition. If the patient desires to assume an erect posture, as isfrequently the case, the lower strap P, can be made as tight asnecessary for preventing any displacement of the organs while movirlfg,after which the pressure can be taken o Y The concavity of theinstrument, the material of which it is composed,-spring bars-theelasticitygiven to the border or edge of the canvas or other cloth, theadjustable character ofthe straps P, P', O all tend t-o insure an evenand complete pressure to every part of the abdominal wall. They moreoverenable greater pressure to be given atV one portion' of the abdomen, andless at" others, when occasions demand. The expanding and contractingcharacter of the spring frame is also desirable, as it adapts it to bereadily applied to any size or form of person.

This instrument will be found useful in cases of prolapsus atari, whenapplied to the person in the manner before detailed.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1.Constructing an adjustable spring steel frame of the form described, 'bycombining,

tion of the uterus and abdominal organs,

sary to extend them around the hips, and

system of bandagmg being difficult of adjustment, the attention of anurse was indischaracter of an elastic cushion, no matter Wha-t may bethe extent of the contraction or expansion of the spring frame, asbefore descr1bed.

3. I also claim attaching the upper and lower straps P, P', whichrespectively branch upward and downward from the band b, of the mainstrap s, 0, at the points of the spring frame, and in the relation toeach other, and the center or main straps s, 0, described andrepresented, so as to give an upward pressure to the spring frame, andfor the other purposes set forth.

BENJ N. A. GROVER.

lVitnesses J. C. JEWETT, C. M. VAUGHN.

